Pūlama, meaning to cherish, also refers to a light or torch. More commonly referred to as lama or lamakū, torches were traditionally made of a series of kukui nut kernels strung onto nīʻau (coconut midrib) and burned one by one starting with the topmost nut. Larger torches were also crafted to illuminate the paths of travelers and of those who fished at night.

Kukui and lamakū are prominent symbols of knowledge and enlightenment. Our beloved Queen Liliʻuokalani was even referred to as “ka lamaku o ka noeau” (a torch of wisdom) in a name chant printed in an 1896 issue of Hawaiian language newspaper Ke Aloha Aina, exalting her as the wise aliʻi she was. 

Thus, Collection Pūlama is intended to remind us of the kuleana we have to cherish, preserve, and transmit knowledge. The collection features a powerful pattern that resembles the brilliant glow that emanates from a row of kukui prepared and assembled into a torch. May this design reaffirm that like each of those kukui nuts, we too are one in a continuous line of intelligence, learning from the past while serving as a beacon for the future.